Medical Website, Why Usability Is Crucial?

Unique Requirements & Crucial Items For a
Successful Medical Websites

Unique Requirements For Medical Websites

Seven Reasons Why Websites for the Medical Field Have Unique Requirements

The business of medicine is wide and varied, but the websites in these the various areas of a medical practice have crucial requirements that must be addressed by a website designer. The following are just a few of the important elements of a good website design for a medical practice.

A medical practice is local

Because patients will be found near the medical office or facility, it is important that the local nature of the medical practice be addressed. Prospective patients must not only know exactly where the facility is, but they must also know exactly how to get there. Obviously, this will include the integration of the site with search engine maps, but it must go beyond this. It should also include written instructions on the site, detailing how to get to the facility from all directions, and not just by car, but also any public transportation that might be used by patients.

A medical practice requires custom graphics

Any images, photos or illustrations should always be customized for a particular medical practice. This type of work must always be done with consultation with a medical doctor. In some instances, there will already be certain graphics that are used by a medical practice in a pamphlet or other publication. Often these images can be adapted for a website, but once the needs of a medical practice are understood by a website designer, customer graphics can be developed to suit a particular medical practice.

Specialized Articles Are Required for Your Medical Practice

When patients and prospective patients arrive at your site, they will be looking for information about the type of practice that you are involved in. This is usually a specialized area of medicine, and they will want information that is specific to their medical problems. Although there is a general requirement for most websites to have quality content, this content takes on increased importance for a medical practice. The content will need guidance from a physician, but will also need to be approved by a physician for its accuracy. These articles must be written in a non-technical manner, so the average person can understand the topic.

A Good Frequently Asked Questions Page

Many websites have a FAQ, but they take on added significance for a doctor’s website. Even when there are good articles available about certain medical conditions and procedures, people will have questions in their mind, and they will usually want fast answers. Care must to be taken so that a FAQ page is as thorough as possible and will impart as much information as possible. People will always have questions, but a good FAQ page will reduce them to a minimum. It also, along with articles, demonstrates that you and your staff are clearly experts in the area of medicine that you practice.

The About Us Page

A physician or medical facility needs to impart a sense of trust in its patients. People are not paying for a product or service so much as they are trusting you with their health, and in some circumstances, even their life. They need to know who they are dealing with. An about us page of the site much not only list diplomas and licenses, but also describe doctors in a personal manner, so people will feel comfortable being treated by them.

Insurance

Not too many people can afford to pay for medical treatment, it simply is too expensive. Therefore, it is critical that the insurance that you take is listed on your site. A blanket statement such as â€œmost forms of insurance are accepted,â€ will not suffice. If you accept Medicare, Medicaid or both, then this must be stated. The private insurance plans that you accept must also be listed. If this is a long list, and it often is, as much of it as possible should be included. It can always be stated at the end of the list that if your insurance is not listed, then please call. People seeing their plan on the list will give them comfort and confidence in your practice. It is also a great selling tool.

It Should Be Easy to Make an Appointment

A medical practice needs their website to go beyond a phone number to make an appointment. Ideally, you want an appointment scheduler program integrated into the site. Making a doctor appointment can be difficult. It needs to be squeezed into a person’s busy schedule. If they are able to look at an online calendar for dates and times available, they will be able to better select the time that is right for them. This is much easier than speaking to a person on the phone and giving them a list of dates and times that are convenient.

When you are ready to have your website designed, you need to have it done by someone with experience working with medical professionals. Medical Websites have different requirements than other websites. The reasons listed above only scratch the surface. You can contact a professional website designer today to discuss your specific medical practice.